Woman killed after being struck by car backing out of driveway

LAS CRUCES - Las Cruces police are investigating a private property crash that claimed the life of an 80-year-old woman on Thursday afternoon.

The crash occurred before 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release from the Las Cruces Police Department.

Police said an 82-year-old man was behind the wheel of a 2015 Chrysler 300 that was parked in his driveway. Investigators determined that the trunk of the Chrysler was open, and up, when the man put the vehicle in reverse and began moving it backward, the release said.

The man’s wife, 80-year-old Wilma Tarro, was apparently standing behind the vehicle and was struck as the vehicle reversed, police said.

Tarro was pinned underneath the vehicle for a short time until Las Cruces firefighters were able to extract her, the release said. She was transported to Memorial Medical Center but pronounced dead shortly after arrival.